Golf club including grip locating means



Aug. 3, 1965 G. s. AHMUTY GOLF CLUB INCLUDING GRIP LOCATING MEANS Filed Oct. 5, 1962 INVENTOR GEORGE STEPHEN AHMUTJ' W WWW A TTORNEV United States Patent W 3,198,520 GULF QLUB INCLUDING GRIP LSQATING MEANS George Stephen Ahniuty, 17 Thomas Leighton Blvd, Cumberland, RI. Filed 0st. 5, 1962, Ser. No. 228,539 4- Claims. (Cl. 273-814) This invention relates to grips for golf clubs and the like and more particularly to such a grip which not only aids in teaching the proper gripping of the club to a user, but serves as a present reminder and locater for the gripping portions of both of .a players hands whene er the club is used.

One of the most basic steps in learning to play good and consistent golf is to learn the proper manner of gripping the clubs. Such proper gripping of a club not only includes the determination and maintenance of the position of the club rotationally within the hands, but also the proper placement and direction of the fingers of both hands. It has been found by professional teachers that this very fundamental step of assuming the proper grip on a club has been very difficult to each, and that improper gripping of the clubs is very commonly a basic cause of playing a poor or mediocre game.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a grip for golf clubs which serves as an aid in teaching the correct gripping positions of the hands on the clubs and then acts as a present reminder and guide for continuing the use of the gripping position of the hands.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a grip for golf clubs which have face areas thereon which serve as guides and locato-rs for establishing the correct positions of the fingers of a players hands, as well as preventing the club from turning in the hands without having a strained or forced grip on the club.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a grip for golf clubs which tends to induce the correct placement of a players hands and fingers on the club, and thereby promote the correct positioning of the players arms and elbows when addressing the ball for a stroke.

And another object of the present invention is to provide a grip for golf clubs which serves as a guide for correctly gripping and aligning the club in a putting stroke.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a wrapping or covering material over a geometric contour of a handle for golf clubs which will retain its shape over a long period of use and provide grooves for finger tip alignment and gripping.

And still another object of the present invention is to provide a covering material which comprises a strip of leather wrapped spirally about, and secured to the filler element constituting the handle with the lateral edges of successive convoluticns forming but-t joints with permanent depressions or grooves between the lateral edges.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent in part and be pointed out in part in the following specification and claims.

Referring to the drawings in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures:

FIGURE 1 is a side eievational view of a complete golf club having a grip in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the grip portion of a golf club which embodies a preferred form of the invention and which indicates in dot-and-dash lines the positions of a players hands for gripping the club.

FIGURE 3 is an end elevational view of a golf club having a grip of the type depicted in FIGURE 2, and wherein the view is taken substantially as indicated by a line 33 and accompanying arrows in FIGURE 2.

Patented Aug. 3, 1%655 FIGURE 4 is an end sectional view which is taken substantially at a position indicated by line 44 in FIGURE 2, and as indicated by the accompanying arrows.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a golf club handle showing the covering material.

FIGURE 6 is a diametrical section of FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary back side view of the covering material used on the golf club handle of FIGURES l, 2, 5 and 6.

FIGURE 8 is a horizontal cross section of the covering material taken on line 88 of FIGURE 7.

FIGURE 9 is a transverse cross section of the covering material taken on line 99 of FIGURE 7.

FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a modified form of covering material.

FIGURE 11 is a diametrical section of FIGURE 10.

Although the exemplary embodiments of my invention which are depicted herein for illustrative purposes show the adaption of my grip to golf clubs which are commonly known as irons, it is to be understood that the disclosed grips are also adapted to use on the clubs which are classed as woods. Also, the grips of the types herein disclosed are adapted to use on either left or right handed clubs by suitable shifts of the positions of certain surface portions of the grips, as will become apparent from the following description.

As depicted in FIGURES 1, 2, 3 and 4, a golf club, generally indicated by reference numeral 12, has a shaft 13 with a head portion 14 secured to one end of the shaft through a hosel 15 which is integral with the head. At the other end of the shaft, a grip 16 is provided, which grip has a length'sufiicient to permit the player to select the effective length of the club in making different types and lengths of shots. The head portion l t-has a ball striking face 17 on its forward surface.

When a player addresses a ball, preparatory to making a swing with the club, the plane of the ball striking face of the head portion of the club should be normal to the intended path of travel of the ball, and the club should be gripped to maintain that relationship through the swing. The positions of the hands, finger tips and particularly of the thumbs of both hands, are of importance in the establishment and maintenance of the proper relationship of V the position of the club head with respect to the ball during the swing. The disclosed grips have been developed not only to eliminate turning of the club grip within the hands upon impact of the head portion of the club with the ball or as a result of slippage during the swing, but also to aid till the selection of positions of the players hands, thumbs and fingers which have been found by exerience to be best adapted to accuracy and consistency of play.

The golf club grip 16 embodies a filler element 18 which is secured to the end portion of the shaft 13 opposite the head 14, and extends throughout the length of the grip 16. This filler element 18 may be made of various suitable materials, such as paper, rubber, or a mixture of I rubber and cork or balsa wood shaped .to serve as the contour defining part of the grip.

This contour defining filler element 18 is covered by a covering material 19 which, in the present instance, is illustrated as being a wrapped strip of leather, although there are other suitable covering materials which are well known in the art and which would serve a comparable purpose. A metal ferrule 20 is generally used to cover the end margin of the grip 16. A cap 22 is secured to the free end of the shaft 13 and grip 16.

In the grip shown in FIGURES 1, 2, 3 and 4, two relatively flat surface portions 23 and 25 are provided on the exterior of the filler element 13. A third surface 25A diametrically opposed to surface 25 is generally perpendicular to flat surface 23. A generally round sectional contour 24 unites the ends of surfaces 25, 25A and is located diametrically opposite to flat surface 23. The relatively fiat surface portions 23, 25 and the round portion 24 extend longitudinally of the grip from positions near the shaft end and for the full length of the grip.

The club illustrated is a putter for use by a right handed player. The fiat portion 23 serves as a locator for the palm of the left hand of the user. The flat portion 25 serves as a locating surface or guide for the placewould a plain ungrooved strip. The groove also proment of the thumb of the right hand of the user. The positions of the hands along the grip will vary, as previously indicated, depending upon the effective length of the club which the player may choose to utilize for making a particular shot. However, regardless of this longitudinal variation in the positions of the hands, the players hands are still kept in closely interlocked rela tionship, as indicated in FIGURE 2, and the relatively flat surface portion 23 serves both as a guide or locating surface for the palm portion of one hand and the thumb of the other hand and as a filler which allowsthe hands to firmly hold the grip.

In normal gripping of the club, it is gripped first with the left hand by placing the palm portion of the left hand against the fiat surface portion 23 and placing the thumb on the fiatsurface portion 25. Before the grip of the left hand is tightened, it is usually and preferred practice to interlink the index finger of the left hand with the little finger of the right hand. After this is accomplished, the right hand is brought to a position such that the end portion of the right thumb rests against the relatively fiat surface portion 23. With the hands in these positions and somewhat overlapped, as shown in FIGURE 2, the front of the index finger of the right hand rests against the relatively fiat surface portion 23.

As shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, and as may be observed by correlation of those view-s with FIGURES 1 and 2, the relatively flat portions 23, 25 and the round portion 24, extend the full length of the grip and are adjacent one another circumferentially of the grip. The filler element 18 is located upon shaft 13 in offset relationship so that the plane of the relatively fiat surface portion 23 lies parallel and in continuation of the plane provided by the ball striking face 17. The plane of the relatively flat surface portion 25 lies perpendicular or at right angles to the plane provided by the ball striking face 17. The described surface positions are for a right handed club, but it may be readily understood that the reversal of the direction of the ball striking face for a left handed club will effect reversal of the order of the positions of the respective relatively fiat surface portions, while maintaining the same general relationships of those surface portions to the direction of projection of the head portion from said shaft and with respect to the ball striking face of the head portion. The position of the hands would, of course, be reversed for utilizing a left handed club.

Referring to FIGURES 5 through 11, the covering material generally indicated by reference numeral 36, preferably of leather, is formed into a single long strip with the marginal edges 31, 32 folded inwardly approximatelyone third the distance of the width of the covering material from each edge, thereby, providing a medial area 33, approximately one third the width of the strip, of one layer of the covering material. This medial area provides a permanent groove 33 in the golf club grip, a will presently appear.

The strip of covering material 30 with the marginal edges doubled or folded on the underside of the covering material is spirally wrapped around the filler element 18 with an adhesive therebetween. As thus applied to the filler element 18 with the folded marginal bands as well as the medial area pressed against and adhered thereto, the lateral edges of one convolution abutting the adjoining lateral edges of neighboring convolutions. The medial region of the strip is pressed radially inwardly.

5 they meet the cylindrical external surface of marginal edges 31, 32 of the land. The exposed or face side of the covering material presents a shallow spiralled groove with generously filleted shoulders. The groove 33, by its physical conformation, gives more traction to the hand than vides a medium whereby the fingers and finger tips can relocate themselves time after time.

A covering material having its edges doubled over eliminates the tendency of the lateral edges to work loose and curl, especially, when spirally wound on an uneven configurated surface.

In the modified form shown in FIGURES 10 and 11 a narrow strip 42, approximately one quarter of the Width of a so called wide strip 30A, is spirally wound upon a filler element 18A, between the convolutions of the wide strip 38A convolutions. The narrow strip 42 also has the marginal edges folded or doubled over to provide lands 43, 44. The covering material thu provided is spirally wound upon the filler element 13A in the same manner as described for filler element 18.

Having shown and described a preferred embodiment of the present invention, by way of example, it should be realized that structural changes could be made and other examples given without departing from either the spirit or scope of this invention.

What I claim is:

1. In a golf club having a shaft with a club head extending laterally from one end thereof, said head being connected at its heel to said shaft and having a ball striking face between its heel and a toe remote from said shaft; 2. hand grip secured coaxially to the other end of said shaft having first, second and third relatively fiat gripping surfaces extending longitudinally-of the grip along a major portion thereof, said second and third relatively flat gripping surfaces being diametrically opposite and at right angles to said first relatively flat gripping surface, said first relative fiat gripping surface lying in a plane parallel to said ball striking face, said second and third relatively fiat gripping surface lying in a plane per- 45 pendicular to said ball striking face a generally round of the users hands and the thumb of the other hand, said second relatively fiat gripping urface engaging the thumb of said one hand, the third relatively flat surface and said generally round sectional contour being engaged by the index finger of said other hand, whereby said surfaces automatically orient the club properly in the hands of the user and ensure rigid gripping of the club.

2. In a golf club having a shaft with a club head exending laterally from one end thereof, said head being connected at it heel to said shaft and having a ball 0 striking face between its heel and a toe remote from said shaft; a filler element secured in off-set relationship to the other end of said shaft having first, second and third relatively flat gripping surfaces extending longitudinally along a major portion thereof, the plane of said first relatively flat gripping surface lying parallel to the ball striking face, the second and third relatively fiat gripping surfaces lying perpendicular to the firstrelatively flat gripping surface, a generally round sectional contour between said second and third relatively flat gripping sur- 7 faces located diametrically opposite said first relatively flat gripping surface, said first relatively flat gripping surface engaging the palm of one of the users hands and the thumb of the other hand, said second relatively fiat gripping surface engaging the thumb of said one hand,

the third relatively flat gripping surface and said generally arsaeao round sectional contour being engaged by the index finger of said other hand, whereby said surfaces automatically orient the club properly in the hands of the user and ensure rigid gripping of the club.

3. In a golf club having a shaft with a club head extending laterally from one end thereof, said head being connected at its heel to said shaft and having a ball striking face between its heel and toe remote from said shaft; a hand grip comprising a filler element secured in off-set relationship to the other end of said shaft and having a first flat gripping surface and a second flat gripping surface at right angles to said first flat gripping surface a third relatively flat gripping surface parallel to said second flat gripping surface and perpendicular to said first flat gripping surface, the plane of said first fiat gripping surface lying parallel to a plane provided by the ball striking face, a generally round sectional contour between said second and third fiat gripping surface located diametrically opposite said first fiat grippin surface, and a covering material formed of a single long strip having marginal edges folded inwardly providing a medial area between two lands, spirally wrapped around said filler element with said two lands and medial area pressed against said filler element whereby said medial area becomes a spiral groove, said first fiat gripping surface engaging the palm of one of the users hands and the thumb of the other hand, said second fiat gripping surface engaging the thumb of said one hand, the index finger of said other hand engaging said third fiat gripping surface and said generally round sectional contour, with the finger tips of one of the users hands engaging said spiral groove, whereby said spiral groove and said first and second fiat gripping surfaces and said third flat gripping surface automatically orient the golf club properly in the hands of a user and ensure rigid gripping of the hand grip.

4. In a golf club having a shaft with a club head extending laterally from one end thereof, said head being connected at its heel to said shaft and having a ball striking face between its heel and a toe remote from said shaft, a hand grip comprising a filler element secured in off-set relationship to the other end of said shaft and having a first flat gripping surface and a second flat gripping surface at right angles to said first flat gripping surface, a third flat gripping surface diametrically opposite said second fiat gripping surface and generally parallel thereto, the plane of said first flat gripping surface lying parallel to a plane provided by the ball striking face, a generally round sectional contour between said second and third fiat gripping surfaces located diametrically opposite said first flat gripping surface, and a covering for said filler element comprising a plurality of single strips of material, each strip of material having the marginal edges thereof folded inwardly thereby providing a medial area between two lands, said plurality of strips of material being spirally wrapped, adjacent each other, around said filler element with the lands and medial areas pressed against said filler element whereby said medial areas form spiral grooves, whereby said spiral grooves, said first, second and third flat gripping surfaces and said generally round sectional contour automatically orient the golf club properly in the hands of a user.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 337,030 11/06 Blanchard 273-80 X 1,639,864 8/27 Smith 27380 1,677,099 7/28 Harness 27381 2,280,382 4/42 Davis 273- 2,394,184 2/46 Janis 27372 2,671,661 3/54 Goodwin 273-81.6 2,877,018 3/59 Turner 273-81 X 3,028,283 4/62 Lundg-ren et al 27381 X 3,109,653 11/63 Biggs 273- X FOREIGN PATENTS 23,427 1911 Great Britain.

DELBERT B; LOWE, Primary Examiner, 

1. IN A GOLF CLUB HAVING A SHAFT WITH A CLUB HEAD EXTENDING LATERALLY FROM ONE END THEREOF, SAID HEAD BEING CONNNECTED AT ITS HEEL TO SAID SHAFT AND HAVING A BALL STRIKING FACE BETWEEN ITS HEEL AND A TOE REMOTE FROM SAID SHAFT; A HAND GRIP SECURED COAXIALLY TO THE OTHER END OF SAID SHAFT HAVING FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD RRELATIVELY FLAT GRIPPING SURFACES EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF THE GRIP ALONG A MAJOR PORTION THEREOF, SAID SECOND AND THIRD RELATIVELY FLAT GRIPPING SURFACES BEING DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE AND AT RIGHT ANGLES TO SAID FIRST RELATIVE FLAT GRIPPING SURFACE, SAID FIRST RELATIVE FLAT GRIPPING SURFACE LYING IN A PLANE PARALLEL TO SAID BALL STRIKING FACE, SAID SECOND AND THIRD RELATIVELY FLAT GRIPPING SURFACE LYING IN A PLANE PERPENDICULAR TO SAID BALL STRIKING FACE A GENERALLY ROUND SECTIONAL CONTOUR UNITING THE ENDS OF SAID SECOND AND THIRD RELATIVELY FLAT GRIPPING SURFACES AND LOCATED DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE SAID FIRST RELATIVELY FLAT GRIPPING SURFACE, SAID FIRST RELATIVELY FLAT GRIPPING SURFACE ENGAGING THE PALM OF ONE OF THE USER''S HANDS AND THE THUMB OF THE OTHER HAND, SAID SECOND RELATIVELY FLAT GRIPPING SURFACE ENGAGING THE THUB OF SAID ONE HAND, THE THIRD RELATIVE FLAT SURFACE AND SAID GENERALLY ROUND SECTIONAL CONTOUR BEING ENGAGED BY INDEX FINGER OF SAID OTHER HAND, WHEREBY SAID SURFACES AUTOMATICALLY ORIENT THE CLUB PROPERLY IN THE HANDS OF THE USER AND ENSURE RIGID GRIPPING OF THE CLUB. 